Cross-section diagram courtesy Victoria Class Submarines - With Focus on the Electronics Fit a website with a huge amount of Victoria class information and many photos. (Much larger image is here).
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In the area of submarines the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has much in common with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The UK Royal Navy (RN) submarine service exerted/exerts a lasting influence on the RCN and RAN due to:
- extensive training in and around the UK on Oberon class submarines, on earlier UK submarines and for RCN only on the Victoria/Upholder class
- using almost identical equipment (the Oberon subs) for decades in all three navies
- widespread secondments of officers and maybe some crew between these navies (sometimes on UK SSNs) and
- immigration of some RN officers and crew into the RAN (and probably the RCN).
Having a great power developing, using and relying on SSKs is beneficial for SSK users like Canada and Australia. Hence the UK's Oberon served Canada and Australia well. Notably Germany and Japan have maintained conventional submarine only navies without nuclear distractions or diluting effort into SSNs…
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Canada's 3 Oberons ("oboats") Commissioned 1965, 67 and 68. 2 "paid off" in 1998 and last in 2000. (Photo courtesy Corvus and RCN via Haze Gray (another comprehensive website!)). Meanwile first of 6 Australian Oberons commissioned from 1967, last one decommissioned 2000 (details from Submarine Institute of Australia and aussubs100)
Following decommissioning of the Oberons from the RCN and RAN (in 2000 for both navies) both navies experienced years of mechanical/maintenance troubles with their replacement submarines Victoria and Collins respectively. Another similarity may be availability. For Australia 2 to 3 Collins might be available due to limited crew numbers. Of Canada’s four Victorias maybe 2 to 3 available at any one time?
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| Victoria (ex Upholder) class submarine. The hull similarity to a Russian Kilo submarine is uncanny (other than the Victoria's upper cruciform tail plane). Perhaps some good espionage against Russia occurred? (Photo courtesy Gasengi dot-com) --- |
Specifications include: 2,200 tons (surfaced) 2,400 tons (submerged), Complement 48, 8,000 nm range. 6 torpedo tubes with 18 Mark 48 HWT (probably mine capable)
Canada's submarine bases are within two Canadian Forces Bases (CFBs). Two subs are based on left/Pacific at CFB Esquimalt (on the Strait of Juan de Fuca (who had an exciting life :). The Atlantic base is at CFB Halifax at right.
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HMCS Victoria (operational) and Chicoutimi (operational) operate out of Canadian Forces Base CFB Esquimalt, British Columbia Canada as part of the Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) fleet in the Pacific Ocean.
HMCS Windsor (operational) and Corner Brook (in Extended Docking Work Period (EDWP) until 2017) are based at CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and operate in the Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) Fleet for operations in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
Professor Paul Mitchell, October 27 2015, has produced and excellent essay on life in a submarine https://www.cdainstitute.ca/en/blog/entry/navies-narratives-and-canada-s-submarine-fleet This and the Canadian operating environment will appear next week on Submarine Matters.
Question: Have there been many "near misses" of being stuck under the ice?
Question: Have there been many "near misses" of being stuck under the ice?
Pete